I consulted the I Ching about this idea and it voted in favour, in these terms:

Ta Yu is formed when Fire moves over Heaven. The idea of mental clarity or the sun in the sky shows its auspiciousness in describing your current condition. The sun sustains life and if we rise like the sun, we need only activate our hidden powers of expansion. Like the sun, by simply being, we set off a chain reaction of abundance. Obstacles disappear because of the hidden influence of Breakthrough. We cultivate the seeds planted in the dark of winter that break through the soil of difficulty and emerge stronger and wiser. This is Great Possessing. Perhaps we learned to play the guest of life and not strive so much to fight against what can never be. Where the underlying cause of Union was a time of joining and partnerships, Great Possessing is a time when our star shines or our sun is rising as an individual. Life has offered you its greatest gift – the power to shine with an inner certainty that need not be defended. Strength and clarity unite and you can move forward in the knowledge that Grace is your teacher and power is merely aligning your will with the way. The message can be about wealth, success or just a sense of knowing you have arrived.

We never completed any of the other reading groups, did we?
The threads seemed to all tail off not very far into the books in question. — Terrapin Station

Reading groups

I do declare that I have never read so many discussions about discussions or threads about threads in all my life.
Why can't it just be about someone starting a conversation about whatever book that interests them.
If 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' is something that S wants to discuss, then S can just go ahead and share the joy and enthusiasm with all.

The very idea of chewing a book to death slowly and tediously, over 15 pages or more in an Ongoing thread...
What did that text or philosophy ever do to deserve that ? Where does the initial enthusiasm go ?

Why can't it just be about someone starting a conversation about whatever book that interests them.
If 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' is something that S wants to discuss, then S can just go ahead and share the joy and enthusiasm with all. — Amity

Alas, not all of us are secure enough of our identity to initiate without consultation and approval. The humiliation of starting a thread and getting little or no participation could send a delicate soul into a major depression.

To put it another way, one who converses with no consideration of the interests of his audience is known a crashing bore.

I thought you were being serious :smile: and then came the Oracle :sad:
Shame :down: — Amity

I'm perfectly serious. I'm not going to pretend that it's oracular use is not as much a part of it as its philosophical use. One can discuss the New Testament without being a Christian, but not without recognising that it is a religious text.

Alas, not all of us are secure enough of our identity to initiate without consultation and approval. The humiliation of starting a thread and getting little or no participation could send a delicate soul into a major depression. — unenlightened

Yeah. That's what I figured. Whatever happened to Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway :starstruck:

I'm perfectly serious. I'm not going to pretend that it's oracular use is not as much a part of it as its philosophical use. One can discuss the New Testament without being a Christian, but not without recognising that it is a religious text. — unenlightened

Indeed you can discuss anything in the Bible without believing it. But to pray about an understanding or the way forward in any discussion would be ridiculous. To listen to any 'divine' responses even more so.

And your adding your responses to my follow ups by editing your original post is putting carts before horses and upsetting the apples.